


Byzantium

by ReinedeGrump



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Game Grumps, Angst, College AU, Eventual Relationships, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Build, assistant!Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:03:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9696854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinedeGrump/pseuds/ReinedeGrump
Summary: Arin hears a familiar song played by a man under the shade of a tree.Or, AU where Arin, Suzy, Barry, and Ross are inseparable in college until a certain someone comes along. College AU.





	1. Chapter 1

You know those kids where you ask them "What's your favorite class?" and they respond with "Lunch." to be snarky and cool? Arin Hanson is definitely one of those kids. He always has been. But passing by a certain face whilst getting his afternoon meal with friends changed his answer from snarky to genuine.   
   Arin waved down his friend when spotting him in the courtyard. He got a middle finger and a smirk in return. Arin rolled his eyes and made his way to the same table they've been sitting at all semester.  
   
     Ross was one of Arin's best friends. They met on an animation site years before seeing each other in person. And when they finally did, it wasn't awkward or even nerve wracking. It was a normal encounter as if they had been living together for the past 5 years. So of course, when Ross decided he was going to move from his hometown Perth to California, Arin was quick to throw the idea out that "Hey, maybe we should room together". Ross agreed and they made plans immediately. Which in turn helped their anxieties of freshman year.

    Arin was thankful he was also sharing a college with another one of his childhood friends Suzy. She was the anchor in his life. So many times she would stay up on the phone with him talking about their futures. She would design clothing and Arin would bring it to life on the computer. And they would make a business of it. Of course it's far fetched but it helped Arin stay focused in school and pass his classes. If not for him or even his parents, then for Suzy. He wanted to make her happy. While they may have zero classes together, that doesn't stop them from spending every moment with each other.   
    Barry was the last to join their group. Arin needed help on his videos and since a mutual friend knew a great editor, in came Barry. And lucky for Arin, he never left. Barry might as well change his name to "Shoulder to cry on" since Arin runs to him first when needing advice. He sets up a good environment for them to talk and while he is nice and very understanding, he's also incredibly blunt. He will be the first to say "Arin I love you but you're an idiot".   
    Once all four of them sat in their usual spot around the table, everything else went in a routine. It wasn't bland to them by any means. If anything, routine is what kept all of them from dropping out and moving back in with their parents. In a sense, their lunch table was an eye of the storm. It was made them feel calm despite having too much homework and not enough sleep or understanding. 

    "I told you guys not to bring anything because I brought.." Suzy fiddled around with her backpack before pulling out two brown paper bags. "Take out! Ta Da!" Arin could have sworn he saw Ross drooling.

    "Suzy I swear this made my whole day I'm starving. Give me the food." Ross made grabby hand motions with his hands and Suzy pulled the bags away from him.

    "Not until you say 'please and also Suzy wins'."

    Ross glared at her and mumbled "PleaseandalsoSuzywins."

    Suzy laughed. "What was that? I don't think I heard you."

    "Please Suzy just feed us! I'm gonna explode!" Barry threw his hands in the air. They all let out a laugh and Suzy happily put the bags back to the middle of the table.

    "Thank you Suzy!" Arin said with food hanging out of his mouth.

    "Ew you're gross! Thank me by chewing your food!" Suzy shoved her hand in his face.

    "Oh by the way, Ross and Arin, Professor Wecht has a new teacher assistant so be ready for that." Barry took a drink from his soda.   
    "Oh god, is he just as mean as Brian?" Ross rolled his eyes.

    "No, he's like our age almost. He's chill. Also Professor Wecht only gives you a hard time because you call him by his first name." Barry pointed his fork at Ross.  
    "Whatever. Arin, bet I won't throw paper balls at the new assistant!" 

    "Ross do not. Last time you did something like that, the teacher thought it was my fault and gave me a write up." Arin dug his index finger into Ross' chest. Ross busted out laughing.

    "I totally forgot about that! The teacher was so pissed!" Arin and Ross started arguing before Suzy cut them off.

    "Everyone shut up. Get in on this picture. I got a new Polaroid and I want to test it out with you guys." Suzy brought up the camera and motioned everyone in.   
    Barry held up a peace sign, Ross obviously gave up two middle fingers, Suzy gave her signature smile and Arin's head was looking off distracted.   
    "Arin! You didn't even look at the cam- Arin?" Suzy furrowed her brows as she watched Arin get up out of his seat. 

    Arin was so distracted by a voice in the distance he didn't even notice the camera shutter going off or his friends yelling at him to come back to the table. He just found himself walking towards the man playing the guitar under the tree in the shade. Arin had never been so enticed by a familiar song in his life. 

    The musician had big hair, a plain black shirt and red flannel, and nice jeans. He looked a little older than Arin but not by much. Arin was snapped out of his trance when the voice stopped singing and asked him a question which he didn't hear the first time.  

    "Hello? You okay kid?" The man waved his hand back in forth to get his attention. Arin immediately snapped out of it and felt heat rise to his face.

    "Oh god I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I just- I just know the song you were playing." Arin felt his words come out like a broken faucet spewing water. 

    The man's eyebrows shot up. "You do? I've never met anyone else who knew of them. That's super cool dude!" The man stared at Arin with a look he couldn't distinguish before breaking eye contact. He started to move all of his papers to the side "Here man, why don't you sit down?" 

    If Arin didn't look like a tomato the first time he blushed, he definitely did now. "I would love to but-" He turned to look back at his friends who were staring at him with their jaws dropped "My friends probably want to know why I left them without telling." He let out a nervous laugh. "I'm Arin by the way."  
   
    The other man laughed and shook his head "Dan." 

    "Well, I should get going. You're really good dude. And you also have amazing taste in music." Arin started to back up towards his friends. 

    "Wait Arin, let me give you this." He jotted something on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Text me if you want to talk about music some more." 

    Arin felt like a hot air balloon about to pop. He took it and muttered a quick 'thank you' before reuniting with his friends. 

    He was instantly bombarded with questions from his friends. 'Who was that?' 'Are you possessed?' 'Why did you just get up and leave like that?'  
    All to which he shrugged and said "I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like we will run into the mystery guy again ;)

    "Look dude, I don't want to pester you like Barry and Suzy did," Ross stopped walking to the classroom for a brief moment to look Arin up and down suspiciously. "I'm just saying what happened at lunch was weird."

    "I know I know. But something about his voice was very distinct. I could hear it from so far away and I wanted to check it out. He was very nice too. Nothing exciting happened. I just said I liked his music taste and came back." Arin opened the door for Ross and followed him into the classroom where they took their usual seats. They were always the first ones in since their lunch table was right next to the building.

    "Whatever you say man. It was just weird." Ross dropped the subject. Arin was thankful he was the type of friend that knew when to let things go.  
    They started a new conversation about Ross' new animation as the room started to fill up. They kept their conversation until Professor Wecht walked in with his assistant. At that point Arin's heart sped up and he felt his palms get sweaty. 

    Ross leaned forward in his seat to get a better look at his friend sitting next to him. "Whoa dude are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."  
    "Th-that's him dude. That's the guy I was talking to at lunch!" Arin whispered.

    "No way dude! He looks the same age as us!"  
   
    "Okay everyone settle down. This is Mr. Avidan. He will be my assistant from the rest of this semester. Any questions?" Professor Wecht raised his eyebrow and without even three seconds passing he continued, "I didn't think so."

    Arin wanted melt and puddle under his desk where Dan wouldn't see him. Why didn't Barry say anything? Of course he was kind of far away and he was in the shade. But still. He even has his number!

    'Once Dan makes eye contact with me or hears me open my mouth in this class he will never want to talk to me again!' Arin could feel his stomach in his chest.  
    Ross sent him a text, "Dude chill. If anything, you get to be closer to the new assistant."

    Arin glared at his friend who was looking forward at the projector taking notes. He was right. He needed to calm down. There were a lot of faces in this class and the lights were off most of the time so the kids could see the projector better. So the chances of Dan seeing him were very slim. As long as he didn't draw attention to himself.

    Arin would have gave a sigh of relief but he noticed Ross watching his face the whole time with a grin. 

    'Shit he knows.' Arin mentally groaned. He knew his friend is a sadist and would love to bring attention to them since it would piss Arin off.  
   
    Arin quickly fumbled for his phone and shot Ross a text "You better not be doing what I think you're going to do."

    ";)" Again, Ross was looking at the board taking notes. Before he could respond, the Professor turned the lights back on. 

    "So class, I need you to read at least three of Yeats' poems by Thursday. I will ask about them when you come back. I expect an analysis of at least one of my choosing so be sure to annotate." 

    Arin saw Ross' hand shoot up in the air and Arin saw his soul ascend into the heavens. "Brian, I was wondering which poems you would recommend?"   
    At that point, Dan's brown eyes met with Arin's wide ones. Arin quickly looked away as he started putting his stuff back into his bag.

    "How about any poem that doesn't include you using my first name. My syllabus was 'Professor Wecht' for a reason. But I guess you wouldn't know since you never took the time to read it." The students that were still in the room started snickering. But Ross didn't even flinch. He kept his same shit eating grin which only intensified ten fold when he turned to look at his friend.

    "Ross I'm going to murder you." Arin said slinging his bag over his shoulder. He wanted to make a quick getaway before Dan said anything to him.  
    "You go on ahead Arin, I have to talk to Brian." Ross winked at him and before he could say anything else, Ross walked up to the desk. Arin knew exactly what Ross was playing at. He wanted to force interaction between Arin and Dan.

    'You're dead to me O' Donovan' Arin thought as he tried to slide by Dan. Arin was successful at getting to the door before a voice called out to him.  
    "Wait Arin!" Dan called out. 

    'Fuckkkkkkkk' Arin's mind was nothing but swears but it somehow convinced him to pretend to be cool and turn around.

    "Hey I didn't know you were taking Brian's class. That's awesome dude! Looks like I'll be seeing more of you than I thought." He grinned at Arin. "Well if you haven't noticed, I am a teacher's assistant so if you have any questions, feel free to text me. I would say e-mail but you already have my number so fuck it right?" Dan let out a laugh that melted Arin's heart. 

    "Y-ya for sure! Have a good day Mr. Avidan!" Arin waved before running out of the class and into the nearest bathroom. 

    He quickly whipped out his phone and furiously texted the group chat of Barry, Suzy, and Ross. 

    "Help help guy from lunch is also teacher assistant. What do I do? He told me to text him??!?!!!"

    Barry was the first to respond "Avidan is mystery guy? Hilarious. Chill dude. He's a cool guy."

    Suzy sent a text after "It's okay Ar. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

    Suzy was right. He didn't have to text him if he didn't want to. But the problem was, he kind of did. He grabbed his hair in his fists and let out a frustrated sigh.

    "I figured you were in here, come out man." He heard a familiar voice causing another frustrated sigh. 

    "Ross! You're such a dick! Why did you do that?" Arin swung the stall door open and glared at his friend.

    "Do what? Give you an opportunity to confront a fear that would have bothered you the whole semester? I don't know." Ross leaned on the bathroom wall and rolled his eyes, "Seriously Arin. This isn't middle school. You have to be assertive. Also, because I thought it was funny that's why."

    "I could kill you you know."

    "I know, let's go back to the dorm and play smash."   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all intents and purposes, Brian is an English teacher because frankly, I don't know jack about science let alone theoretical physics. Making him an English teacher will help the writing go a little more smoothly.   
> Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Arin text Dan?

  "Ross what the actual fuck is this dude writing about?" Arin put his head in his hands. He had been doing the work Wecht assigned for two hours now. 

    "You think I would know? I'm literally paying someone to do my homework right now." Ross smiled while playing smash. He always paid his way out of hard assignments. And he always got away with it.

    "Ugh, you are no help." Arin wanted to smash his head on the table. "And Barry hasn't responded yet either. He's probably working on the same thing. He never has his phone on."

    "Sucks dude. Pay someone like I did. Or ask Suzy." Ross shrugged while not looking away from the screen.

    "You know Suzy doesn't take this class and wouldn't know. You also know I wouldn't get away with that."

    "I don't know then. Text Avidan." Arin could tell Ross checked out of the conversation but when he mentioned Dan his heart stopped. He had forgotten about Dan.

    "No, I can't!" Arin laid his head on the table.

    "Yes you can. Stop being a wuss. Also stop bothering me, I'm playing this." Ross retorted. He was no help.

    Arin pulled out his phone and opened a blank message to Dan. He let the cursor blink for a full minute before typing. 

    "Hey Mr. Avidan, it's Arin. I was wondering if you could help me on the poem assignment?" As Arin hit the backspace button to erase everything and start again, he hit the enter button. 

    "Oh shit! No! No no no no no! Fuck!" Arin slammed his fist on the table making Ross jump.

    He whipped around to face Arin, "Dude what's your deal?"

    "I just accidentally sent a message to Dan!"

    "Was it a pic of your dick or something?" Ross raised an eyebrow.

    "What? Dude no why woul- wait shut up he replied." 

    Arin gazed back down at his phone. "Hey Arin! Just call me Dan. Glad you texted, now I can feel like an actual teacher. What poems are you working on?" 

    "The Wild Swans at Coole." 

    "Ah, I love that one! Okay, my office hours tomorrow are 1-3pm. Can you make that time?"

    Just the thought of Dan and him alone for 2 hours made his breath stop. He needed to stop acting like a school girl. 

    "Sounds good. Thank you Dan."

    "Of course! Also, I'm listening to the song I was playing earlier. What do you think about their first album?"

    Arin immediately opened the group chat with his friends. "Guys Dan is texting me about music. He's my teacher! Is that weird?" 

    Arin heard Ross' phone ping followed by a "Really Arin?"

    Arin rolled his eyes and opened a new text from Suzy "Ar, it's not weird if you see him as a friend instead of a teacher. He just wants to get to know you better."

    Again, Suzy was right. He needed to stop over reacting. He opened Dan's message again. 

    "I really love their old stuff. There is something about the filter on the singers voice that sounds enticing. What about you?"    

    "I like their newer stuff better personally. I feel like they're evolving as a band you know?"

As Arin started typing a response his phone buzzed again from Dan. "This may sound really forward but do you want to come over to my place? We can listen to their stuff and I can tutor you at the same time."

    Arin's jaw hung open. Was he serious? He just met him! But, what's the harm in getting homework done? 

    Dan sent another text, "If not that's totally fine! Office hours are the same. Like I said, I don't want to be too forward." 

    Arin smiled, "Actually, help tonight would really make me feel better. I'm stressed out about this class you have no idea."

    Dan sent his address and Arin shot out of his chair. 

    "Ross I'm leaving." He ran to his room to change out of his sailor moon t shirt to a plain maroon baseball T and swapped sweats for jeans. He B lined for his bag and started shoving papers in it.

    "Where are you going? It's 10 o' clock!" Ross stood up from his seat.

    "Mr. Avidan is going to tutor me tonight. I'll be back soon." 

    "Sketchy. Send me his address so I feel better." Ross sat back down. He knew Arin wasn't stupid but having his address put him more at ease.  
    "Sure, see you soon dude."

    Ross' eyes followed Arin until he was all the way out the door. 

    Ross opened up his phone to text Suzy and Barry. "Hey Arin just went to Dan's house for 'tutoring'."

    Shockingly, Barry texted back first. "Sorry I was working on eco homework. Are you serious? That sounds kind of sketchy. But he's an adult. He can do what he wants."

    "Did you at least get details Ross? I don't like that he is leaving without warning over a guy he just met." Suzy texted. "He was just freaking out over the fact that he texted him in the first place. It's all moving a little too fast for me." 

    Ross nodded his head. "I know. I tried to stop him but he left without me being able to get a word in. Like Barry said, he is an adult so he can technically do what he wants. Just thought you guys should know."

    Barry responded "True, thanks man. But I'll wait for him to tell me all of this on his own. I just hope he is careful. I don't think anything bad will happen. Avidan is a really nice guy. He probably just wants to make friends with someone." 

    "If he touches Arin, I'm killing him." Was all Suzy had to say.

    "I'll help you." Ross smiled. But he still felt a little uneasy for letting his friend go so easily.   
         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may seem a little rushed but remember that they're in their early 20's. People tend to make decisions like this when they're young.  
> Also, Ross, Arin, and Barry are 20, Suzy is 18 (Graduated early), and Dan is 25.  
> Hope this clears up any confusion!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin visits Dan for tutoring.

    Arin sat in the parking space of Dan's apartment complex for a solid five minutes trying to convince himself to get out for two reasons. One, he was so nervous he felt like his legs were jello. He has never done anything like this before. But there was something about Dan that made him feel so enticed. The second and more important reason, it was cold as hell outside and he didn't bring a sweatshirt.

    Taking one last breath of warm car air, he threw his car open and grabbed his bag. Instantly, the cool night air hit his face. Even for a warm place like California, the air could still freeze you to death overnight in the Fall. Arin suppressed a shiver and made his way to the apartment. 

    After waiting for what felt like an eternity after ringing the doorbell, Dan opened the door. He switched his jeans and t shirt for an old Rush shirt and light jeans with a bunch of holes in them. 

    "Come on in! Oh god you're shaking! Are you okay?" Dan motioned him in and closed the door behind him. Arin instantly felt the heat of Dan's house surround him. His place was actually pretty nice. His living room had one of the better futons and a large TV sat in front of it. Everything also seemed very clean, including his small kitchen. 

    "I'm fine, I just forgot a sweatshirt is all!" Arin awkwardly stood at the door with his hand on his other arm.  
   
    "Well have a seat Arin, want anything to drink? I have Coke." Dan opened his fridge and took out two drinks.

    "Actually that would be awesome." 

    Before making his way back, he put on some music that Arin wasn't familiar with. 

    "You ever listen to Joy Division?" Dan plopped right next to Arin and held out his drink for him to take.

    "No I haven't. But I'm sure if you're playing them then they have to be good right?" Arin laughed and rolled the can from hand to hand.  "Thanks a lot for letting me come over by the way. I appreciate the help."

    Dan softly smiled at Arin. "Of course, what kind of teacher's assistant would I be if I didn't help my students. Yeats is a hard poet to understand anyway. May I see your notes?"

    At this point, Dan was leaning in close to Arin peering over him to get his backpack. Arin felt his face get red as he fumbled to get his notes out. Lucky for Arin (or unlucky for Arin), Dan got up to get his notes from the other room. He came back with a large binder. 

    "Okay here are my notes on the poem you picked. What parts did you have trouble understanding?"   
    "Oh uh, well, the symbolism I guess." 

    "Did you know Yeats wrote this poem about a girl?"

    Arin blinked up at Dan. How could this be about someone? It all looked like non sense to him. Dan continued. "There was a woman in his life; Maud. She was his muse. Have you ever had a muse?"

    Arin slowly shook his head. 'I might just have one now though', Arin thought. The way Dan's eyes lit up when talking about literature made Arin want to faint. How could someone like Dan be so talented and intelligent? He could talk for hours and Arin would still listen to the way he gets into his words with the same enthusiasm. 

    The assistant spent the next two hours helping Arin understand his works. While it was still homework, he felt like he was hanging out with Dan. There was something about him that made work seem so, fun. He was disheartened when they finally ended their session.

    "Does this all make sense to you Arin?" 

    "Yes Mr. A- Dan. Thank you so much. I was so stressed out about this. I have never really been good at English."

    "That's okay. That's what I'm here for." With that, Dan grabbed both of their empty cans and got up to throw them away. "Do you want to listen to anything specific while I'm up?" 

    Arin thought about what he would want to listen to but of course he was drawing a blank. He decided he would just say the first thing that came to his mind. "Can you play something?" 

    'Why did I say that. I'm so dumb!' Arin internally groaned at what he said. 

    "Really? I mean, if you want. Let me go get my guitar."  Dan walked down the hall and came back with his instrument.   
    "So, what did you want to hear?" Dan smiled at Arin.

    "Uh, can you play the same song you were singing at lunch?" 

    "You like that one? Hm, well, okay." He smiled and started to strum. Arin felt like he was in a dream. The feeling was doubled when Dan started singing. When he was done, Dan opened his eyes to have the other man staring at him. 

    "Dude you sing so well. I don't really know how to sing but I wish I could. How did you find out about this band?" 

    Dan smiled, "Well, they sound like they're influenced by other bands I like and I've always liked the local scene. What about you? They seem a little small based for a lot of people to know." 

    Arin remembered the first time he heard them was when he was in high school. He sneaked out of his house and started walking around. He had to be walking for hours when he slipped into a bar for a break. Lucky for him, he looked at least 21 and he wasn't obnoxious enough to draw attention to himself. There was a local band playing and while he was just sitting in the far back, he loved the musician's voice. When they said their band name, Arin went home and downloaded their album.

    "I went into a bar when they were playing a few years ago and fell in love with the singers voice." Arin looked up to recall all the information. 

    "Oh yeah, how did you get into that bar with no one noticing?"  Dan cocked an eyebrow at Arin.

    "I'd like to thank my excellent facial hair for that." They both laughed. "I always wanted to see them live again but they broke up shortly after I got into them." Arin frowned. He could have sworn he saw a flash of some emotion come across Dan's face. Maybe guilt?

    "Ya that really sucked. I was sad when they broke up too." 

    "On the bright side,  you're the closest thing to the band so it's almost like going to a concert." 

    Dan laughed, "Well, I'm glad I could help." Dan yawned, "It's getting late, do you need to be home?" 

    Arin frowned. He must have overstayed his welcome. "Oh, yeah. I should get going. See you tomorrow Dan. Thank you again for all your help." 

    Dan walked Arin to the door. "Have a good night, if you have any other questions, feel free to swing by my office tomorrow. I had fun tonight by the way." 

    Arin's face lit up "Me too Dan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not slick, y'all seeing what I'm doing here lmao. Hope you guys liked this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day at school?

   The default alarm clock noise echoed through the dim dorm room. Waking up two young men at an early hour was almost impossible. Ross swung the door open to Arin's room after 5 minutes of the alarm buzzing and slammed his hand on the stop button. Arin bolted up out of his bed.

    "Dude what the fuck?" Arin yawned.

    "If your alarm went off for any longer, I would commit murder." Ross has bags under his eyes. Well, Arin thought he did. His room had blackout curtains.  
    "My alarm went off? I didn't even hear it."  
   
    "Maybe you were too busy in dreamland with your new boyfriend you didn't notice. I didn't even hear you come back in last night." Ross flopped down on the bed next to Arin. "Give me your blankets I'm cold."

    Arin rolled his eyes and lifted up his blanket so Ross could scoot in. "Whatever. All we did was study. Well, he played me one song on guitar but that was it."  
    Ross leaned up against Arin and he could immediately feel all the warmth leaving him. It was like he was cuddling a freezer. "Maybe he's a siren. Wake me up in five minutes." Arin let his eyes fall shut as he let out a quiet 'okay'.  
\--

    A smack on the chest and yelling is what made Arin's eyes shoot open. "Arin you asshole! You fell asleep!"

    "Oh shit!" Arin checked the time; 11:00. They both missed their first class. Ross shot his friend a evil look and got out of bed.

    "I'll just ask someone for their notes I guess. You're lucky it's an easy class Hanson." 

    "Sorry man, I'll buy you lunch today?" Arin offered. Ross took his hand off the doorknob and spun around.

    "If you think bribing me with food is going to make up for missing one of my classes, you are absolutely right. I want McDonalds." Ross smirked and left the room. With a small laugh, Arin got out of bed and grabbed his iconic black T shirt and jeans and went to the bathroom for a shower. 

    After his shower, the man called out to Ross "Hey I'm getting your food, text me what you want and I'll meet you at the table!" He got out his phone and texted Barry and Suzy if they wanted anything. Barry said he was good and Suzy said she wanted to go with him. She met him at his car.

    "So what happened after you stopped texting us last night?" Suzy nonchalantly questioned while buckling her seat belt.

    "Oh, sorry I guess I never filled you guys in. I went to Dan's house for some studying."         

    Suzy sat up and looked at Arin. "Oh yeah? Was it weird or anything?" 

    Arin knew what she was really asking. 'Did you guys do it while you were there? You had only just met him you know'. He wasn't mad about her implication, she was just looking out for him. Making sure he doesn't get hurt. 

    "Oh no, we didn't do anything besides study these dumb poems Wecht gave us. Well they're not really as dumb now because I get them. But yeah, I was super stressed out before Dan offered to help. And Ross already had someone to pay to do his work. I tried asking Barry but you know he always has his phone off when he's working." 

    Suzy studied his face for something else but seemed satisfied with his answer. "That's awesome you got some help. I know how Barry is," she laughed "I always try to get help from him with homework and he never answers my texts. That's why I just go to his dorm and bang on the door."

    Before he could answer the drive thru speaker went off and Arin ordered lunch for all of them. The lady at the window passed Arin the bags and he handed all the bags and drinks to Suzy so he could drive back to the campus without spilling the cheap food everywhere.

    By the time they got back, it was noon. Everyone was in the courtyard soaking in the Autumn sun by doing some sort of activity outside. Arin and Suzy made their way to their table and plopped the bags down. 

    "Did anyone order the heart attack special?" Suzy asked while giving a bag to Ross. Ross was too impatient to wait for her to give him his food. 

    "That smells pretty good, I kind of regret packing my own lunch." Barry looked down at his sandwich and chips.

    "It's cool dude, you can snag some of my fries if you want." Arin set his fries in the middle of them so Barry could easily grab however many fries his heart desired. 

    Everyone enjoyed their meal in comfortable silence until Ross spoke up. "That was good and all but I gotta get going. I have to pay that kid for doing my homework. And If I want to bullshit my answers to the teacher, then I kind of have to read what she wrote for me first." Just like that, Ross gathered all his things and made his way to the library. 

    "For someone who never does his homework, he really is smart." Arin watched him make his way across the courtyard.

    "Oh Barry! Can you help me with my homework?" Suzy reached in her bag to pull out her binder. She already knew Barry was too nice to say no.   
    "Fine but only because you always buy me food." Barry shoved the remaining bite-sized piece of his sandwich into his mouth. 

    "I think I found out the way to bribe any college student you guys," Arin looked at both of his friends as if he discovered all secrets of the world. "Food." 

    They both thought if over and nodded. "Yeah that's true! So weird! Maybe I should start an army of college students or something." Suzy grinned.

    Suzy got up to sit right next to Barry as they studied her homework. It wasn't the first time this happened. But usually Ross was there to keep Arin company. He tried fiddling around on his phone for a few minutes but he got bored. So he found himself getting out of his seat. They both didn't really notice. That or they already knew where he was going. 

    Arin made his way to the English wing of the campus and knocked on a familiar door. He cursed himself for coming off this needy but he was bored. The door swung open and he was greeted with a smile. 

    Dan raised his eyebrows, "Arin? Did you need more tutoring?" 

    Arin felt himself blush. He didn't really need a reason to come all the way up here. "Oh, no. I actually don't know why I came here. My friends were all busy so I just started walking. I should go." He laughed nervously. 

    "Well, no one else has come up here for help. I'm getting bored myself. Want to hang out in here until class?" Dan motioned him to come in. How could Arin say no to that? 

    He set all of his stuff down on the chair across Dan's desk. "It must be really cool to have your own office like this. I think it's actually nicer than my dorm."  
    Dan laughed. "Really? I've only seen the dorms once while I got a tour of the school. They're nicer than the ones in France though."  
    "France? You're from Paris?"     

    "Oh no, I'm from Jersey actually. But I was an exchange student for a year. The people were nice." Dan had a look of nostalgia on his face. 

    Arin leaned on the desk on his elbows. "I always wanted to go outside the country. Maybe to Japan. Do you speak any French?"

    "Un peu." He said sarcastically. "I don't remember much of it. I could introduce myself and sing 'Foux du fafa' but thats pretty much it."  
    Arin's eyes lit up. Why was Dan so interesting? "That's still really cool. How long did you live in Jersey?" 

    Dan furrowed his brows trying to get an exact number of years before giving up. "Eh, most of my life. I moved out here because I wanted a new start. So I got a degree in teaching and got my job here. I should be a professor by next year." Dan paused, "So tell me Arin, what are you going to college for?"   
    Arin didn't want to talk about himself. He was boring compared to Dan. "Oh, animation. I made a few shorts for this website and the school saw what I was doing and gave me a full ride." 

    With a look of shock, it was Dan's turn to lean on his elbows "No way! You have to show me one of you works! I love animation! I mean, I can't draw to save my life but I always really liked it." 

    "Well I mean anyone can draw. It's just practice. I started drawing when I was young and I picked up tricks on how to do anatomy and all that."   
  Dan and Arin fell into conversation, it was almost as if they knew each other for years. Arin would say something funny and Dan would emit machine gun like giggles making Arin laugh harder. It went on for a while before Dan stood up. 

    "We still have like an hour and a half before class. Want to go get ice cream?"

    Arin blinked. "Uh ya man, that sounds cool." 

    Dan whipped around to face Arin. "Did you just fucking make an ice cream pun?" Arin only wiggled his eyebrows at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ross and Arin are strictly platonic. I just remember sharing a bed with my friends and I thought "why not incorporate it into a chapter?"   
> *Also if you get my 'Foux Du FaFa' ref, I owe you ice cream lol


	6. Chapter 6

When Dan and Arin got back to the college, they both hung out in Dan's car. The afternoon sun was slowly melting their ice cream despite Dan blasting the AC. Dan put on a Rush album for background noise. 

    "So Arin, I saw your friends at the table the other day. What are they like?" Dan licked his ice cream and Arin had to look at his feet before melting himself.  
    "Well, Ross is from Australia. He's a sarcastic bastard but I still love him. Suzy is one of my best friends. She's the reason I'm here now. If not for her, I would have dropped out. And Barry is amazing. One of the most talented and sweetest guys you will ever meet." Arin felt himself ranting about his friends but he loved his friends. He could talk about them non stop and never run out of nice things to say. When he looked at Dan, he was smiling softly at him.

    "They all sound really great. It must be nice to have close friends like that. I moved around a lot so I never really kept any friends when I moved." Dan watched Arin's face go to one of pity causing him to backtrack. "But I don't regret it or anything! I still keep contact with some friends from Jersey and France. And I have an assortment of stories to tell people. Ross is in that class right? The one that keeps referring to Brian by his first name? I like that kid. It took everything in my power not to laugh at that." 

    "Oh yeah, that's him. He only did it to draw attention to me so you would find me." Arin's hand slapped over his mouth. He wanted to slap himself in the face. Did he really just admit that? He watched as Dan's face turned to one of amusement.

    "You don't say? And why would he do that?" Dan took one last lick of his ice cream while looking Arin in the eye amused.

    Arin wanted to astral project to a dimension where he didn't blurt out the first thing he said. "It's dumb." He laughed while looking literally anywhere but Dan.  
    "Tell me, I think it's endearing actually."

    Arin sucked in a breath and let it out. "Ross saw me freak out because I told him you gave me your number earlier and I didn't know you were also teaching. I was scared you were gonna think I was dumb and then you wouldn't want to associate with me anymore."

    Dan's face immediately softened. "I would never think that. You are incredibly articulate and talented. Actually, I was worried that you were going to think I was some creep after you saw that I was a teacher assistant instead of a student."

    The man looked up in disbelief. Why would Dan care what he thought? He was just another face in a sea of students. Nothing was really spectacular about him. Not like Dan who could probably teach English to a toddler and also play the guitar like some virtuoso.

    "Really? I think you're really cool. When you invited me over, I basically ran out the door to your house, which is really nice by the way."

    "I guess we were both mistaken then. I really like hanging out with you Arin."  Dan added, "Speaking of, are you busy tonight? I want to show you something."

    A puzzled look took over Arin's face. "Okay that sounds cool. Where do you want to meet?"

    "My place?"

    "I can't wait!" Arin beamed. 

    "Me either. Alright, let's go to class and you can show me how much you learned from our study session."  
\--

    Ross slid into the seat next to Arin. He was five minutes late. Brian shot him a look, "Well O' Donovan, since my class is not a top priority for you, why don't you tell us what you annotated?" 

    "More than happy to Brian." Ross grinned and pulled out "his" notes and started analyzing the poem. Arin was actually surprised. It sounded well put together. Whoever he paid to do his homework for him had excellent points. When the student was done, Brian raised his eyebrows. 

    "Interesting input. I disagree about some of your imagery on the bible in 'The Second Coming' but hey, literature can be interpreted in many ways. That being said, come to class on time or I'll make you annotate every poem he has written."

    "Sorry Brian," Ross dragged out the 'i' in his name before winking at him. Ross was going to be the death of him. 

    Professor Wecht started calling on random students for interpretations. Some kids obviously did their research whether they were coherent or not. A good amount of kids however were not talented enough to bullshit their way through the poems. 

    With a sigh, he told one of the kids to sit down. "You guys must have me fooled for someone who doesn't have a PhD in English. I know when you didn't even try. And you will especially know this when grades are posted. Arin, tell me what you annotated." 

    Arin's blood ran cold. He fumbled with his notes and stood. "Um, I annotated the Wild Swans at Coole" he started. "I noticed it is in iambic tetrameter. Um, it also only rhymes in the last couplets in a ABCDD way." 

    Arin wanted to faint. He knew what he was talking about. Public speaking affects three fourths of people so he's not wrong to be scared right? He looked at Dan whose eyes gleamed. That alone made Arin continue. 

    "Yeats wrote the poem about his unrequited lover Maud Gonne. I noticed how elegant the poem sounded to embrace her femininity but the meter shows that she is also a strong woman by the way he stresses certain syllables. The last lines signify that while his love may not be reciprocated, he will always love her and enjoy the beauty she has brought him." When he finished talking, he looked up from his notes. Brian looked impressed.

    "Good use of the meter and interpretation, alright," He directed his eyes elsewhere getting another student's attention. "You. Tell me your annotation." The kid looked like a deer in headlights. When Arin looked back at Dan, Dan offered him a proud smile. The former felt giddy. 

    "Hey good job loser. Looks like you and loverboy really did study." Ross nudged Arin. Arin just turned and lightly hit him. If he hit him any harder, Brian would have noticed. 

    "Fight me Ross."

    "Come at me scrub."

    Arin checked his phone, Dan texted him. "You did awesome man! P.S, get off your phone." 

    Arin tapped a quick response, "You do the same Mister." 

    Arin also took time to open his group chat. "Guys guess what? I nailed my presentation." 

    Ross immediately started tapping on his phone. "If you call every other word 'um' as nailing it." He sent another text right after. "Just kidding, he was actually pretty good. I might start having him do my homework for me."

    Suzy responded shortly after. "That's awesome! I got a 98 on my project. Looks like it's been a good day for all of us! I owe Barry dinner or something lol."   
    Arin stopped looking at his phone after that since class was over in less than 5 minutes. Once Brian dismissed everyone, Ross and Arin started walking out the door. 

    "Mr. Hanson, can I talk to you for a second?" Brian used the 'come here' motion. And Arin made a U-turn after muttering a 'I'll meet up with you outside' to Ross.

    "Yes professor?" If he was being honest, Arin was a little worried he was in trouble. He immediately thought 'Oh god, what if he figured out him and Dan were hanging out now? Would Dan lose his job over that?' 

    Before his thoughts got anymore paranoid, Brian spoke. "You analysis was very interesting. You showed that you understood the material. Good job. I'd love to chat with you about what you think of his other works but I know trouble maker is waiting for you outside." He cracked a smile. "Have a good day Hanson."   
    "You too Professor." 

    Arin pushed the double doors of the English wing open. The cool air was crisp and it put his mind at ease. The courtyard was nice now that the sun was setting. But it was going to get cold fast. That's how California worked. Either way, the sky was painted with beautiful pinks and oranges and Arin wanted to paint it. He was never really that good at landscape paintings but he could still recreate it if he put his mind to it. He saw Ross sitting at their usual table alone with his sketchbook out. 

    "Hey sorry, the professor was just telling me I did a good job." Arin took a seat and peered over Ross' shoulder and peered in his sketch book. He was sketching some concept art for a show he's wanting to create. "Oh is this a new character?" 

    He looked up and smiled at him. "Yeah, I want to make a more threatening villain. I think I'm going to add more details to his limbs." He promptly shut his book and stood up. "Let's go. These mosquitoes might just eat me alive." 

    The walk back to the dorm was calming. For once, Arin felt like his life was going in a good direction. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your nice comments really inspired to get out this next chapter! Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin goes to Dan's again and doesn't expect what's coming.

"Okay Ross," Arin stood up after winning another game of smash "I gotta get going." 

    "Where are you going?" Ross looked puzzled. 

    "I'm gonna hang out with Dan for a bit."

    "Oh, for another study session?" Ross pulled out his phone. He wouldn't actually tell Arin he was double checking that he had the address.       
    "Yeah. He wanted to actually hang out today instead of tutoring. I think we might just listen to music. Anyway, if you need anything while I'm out let me know. I think we might actually need more milk so I'll get that on the way home." He grabbed his keys and turned to look at his friend to make sure he understood. When Ross gave him a 'Yeah see ya soon', he headed out the door.

    The official nervousness wore off the first time he went over to Dan's. But there was still some butterflies that flew around his stomach. The man couldn't help but wonder if this relationship was only because Dan was bored. There was a strong feeling that it wasn't true, but he couldn't help but think so anyway.   
    Arin rolled down the windows to let the cold air hit his face and bring him to his senses. He hated overthinking, it always led him down some unreasonable path. It's not like he didn't know that either. There was never anyway to prove what he thought because it was so far fetched but once the thought was out there, well, maybe there could be some truth to it who knows. The frigid wind helped the animator come back to reality. He promptly rolled the window up since it was very cold. 

    When the car pulled into the apartment complex parking, Arin took off his seat belt he soon found himself in front of a familiar door. He politely knocked on the door and when Dan answered, he found himself smiling.

    "Hey bud, come on in!" Dan stood to the side to let Arin in. "Dude why are you always shivering when you get here? You make it seem like I live in the fortress of solitude or something." Dan started walking back to his room.

    Arin took a seat on the futon. "Well you do live alone," Arin laughed. He felt something light cover him. "Did you really just get me a blanket?" Arin unveiled his face and looked up at his friend who stood there with a smirk.

    "Nobody is going to freeze in my house. Speaking of, I'm gonna make us hot chocolate. Will you turn on my Xbox? Also find something on Netflix you want to watch."

    Arin wrapped himself in the blanket and turned on the console. As he was trying to find a good movie, he heard Dan sing the same song as when they first met. He felt himself get distracted from what he was doing and focused on the voice from the kitchen.

    Dan shortly met him on the couch with two mugs. "I may have went overboard on marshmallows to be honest. What did you find?"

    "Shit, I forgot to find something. Your singing is so distracting." Arin laughed as he picked up the controller again, "Also, no such thing as too many marshmallows." 

    Dan let out a laugh. "Whatever man, too many of those things and I might get barfy. Here," Dan took the controller out of Arin's hand. Arin shuddered at the sudden contact. "I have a good movie for us to watch. It's a rom-com but it has five stars. I haven't seen it yet so why not?"

    Dan put on the movie and took a sip from his drink. Arin did the same. The latter also took the time to get comfortable. The futon wasn't that big so their legs were almost brushing. The only thing he could do is lean back in his seat. Out of the corner of his eye he could spot Dan looking at him. He didn't want to blush so he kept his eyes forward at the movie. 

    The movie was really great of course, but Arin found himself thinking of him and Dan in the place of the two characters. Was that normal? Of course, he thought about holding Dan's hand or maybe even kissing him. But he doesn't even know Dan that well anyway. So again, was it normal? He wasn't going to make a move on someone he just met, but God did he kind of want to. 

    "If it's a cliche ending, you owe me five dollars," He heard Dan speak up.

    "No fair! It probably is!" Arin lightly hit his chest. 

    Dan only laughed harder, "Okay but maybe it isn't. You never know, and if I'm wrong, you get five dollars. Common, bet me!"  
    Arin scoffed, "Fine, but I'm just sentencing myself to give you money for free."

    The movie ended with the interests separating and never speaking again. The first person went to school while the other person led a life of crime. Arin slowly turned to say I told you so but he cracked up when he saw Dan point at the screen with his jaw hanging open. 

    "What the fuck dude? I guess I owe you five dollars. It was showing every sign of being a cliche! It's not fair!" 

    They both laughed on the old couch before Dan was able to calm down. "So, want to watch another movie?" 

    "Oh sure, but you said you wanted to show me something earlier at school?" Arin remembered the conversation in the car.

    "Oh yeah!" Dan took Arin's hand and led him down the hall. Dan's hands were very cold but it nicely contrasted Arin's. He took them to his room and motioned him to sit on the bed. Arin's heart started racing. What was happening? He's heard of 'Netflix and Chill' but was this seriously it? 

    "Close your eyes." Dan instructed. Arin let his eyelids shut and he heard some rummaging around before he felt Dan's presence in front of him. "Okay, open."  
    Dan was holding a book out in front of him. Arin took it in his hands and he was really impressed just by the cover.

    "It's a book on the art in 'The Last Unicorn'. It's my ultimate favorite movie, but I thought some of the art and concepts might help your animation. If you want, you can have it. I've read it a bunch of times not to mentioned I already own a signed book. I just thought you might appreciate the art more than I ever could." Dan looked sheepish, like he felt like he was ranting on for too long. Or that Arin was going to think his favorite movie was stupid. 

    Arin stood up and wrapped his arms around Dan. At first, Dan was shocked at the sudden action but then he found himself returning the gesture. Arin looked up at Dan. "This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you."

    Arin sat back down and started thumbing through the pages, taking in each illustration. Dan sat next to him. He was leaning on his arm which was placed behind Arin. They were sitting incredibly close to each other. Arin heard Dan's phone ring. Dan looked at the screen and his brows furrowed. 

    "Shit sorry I gotta take this I'll be right back." Dan stood up and strode out of the room. Arin was left in his room by himself. He tried not to listen in on the conversation and be nosy so he continued to go over the pages. He looked up when he heard Dan's voice raise from the other room.

    "Look man I'm busy I-. Listen. I'm done with that. I told you n-. Fine. Bye." Dan sighed and took a second to compose himself before going back into his room.  
    "Hey Arin. Sorry if you heard any of that." Dan sunk onto his bed and laid on his back. 

    "Are you okay? What happened?" Arin turned to face his friend.

    "Oh, just an old acquaintance. He wanted to g- well it's not that important." Dan cut himself off. He looked like he was struggling to tell him something. Arin didn't want to force an answer out of him but he wanted to make sure he was okay.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" 

    Dan could only look up at him with a guilty expression. "Arin, I have a confession."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for my netflix and chill joke. I am 110% aware that it's not funny at all.   
> \- Also cliff hangers are fun >:)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan reveals a secret to Arin

"Arin I have a confession." Dan looked at Arin as he sat up in his bed. Arin's heart was going a million miles a minute but Dan continued. 

    "That was my past band mate. That song I've been singing, that's my song. That band you saw at the bar, that's my band. I wanted to tell you sooner but," Dan took a breath and continued, "I just don't like to talk about it. Me and my other band mate had a falling out a few years ago." Dan trailed off. Arin didn't want him to talk about it if he didn't want to. But Arin wanted to know why he didn't tell him when they first met. Was that the only reason they were friends? Was he just entertaining a fan?

    "Is, is that why you hang out with me? Because you feel bad for leaving a fan?" Arin couldn't help but voice his fears. He didn't care if he sounded pathetic. Being used was the one thing he couldn't forgive.

    Dan sat up in his bed and took Arin's hands. "Arin no. Why would you ever think that? I hang out with you because I like you. Of course I feel bad that you liked my music and I could never release anymore but that has nothing to do with why I like spending time with you. You're funny, kind, and we get along amazingly."   
    Arin searched Dan's eyes for anything that would give him away. He looked so genuine, Arin immediately felt bad for accusing him of such a thing. "I'm sorry. I just overthink too much. I really like being around you, I would just hate it if you didn't feel the same way." Arin wanted to change the subject before the welling in his chest spilled over. "Was that him that called?"

    Dan let go of his hands and laid back down. "Yeah. He wants Skyhill to get back together. He's been asking often as of late. But I can't go back." Dan suddenly felt a hand over his.

    "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

    Dan smiled. "Thank you. I'll tell you everything eventually I promise. Sorry to put a damper on our hang out sesh." Dan chuckled. "Can I make it up to you?"  
    Arin smiled, "No need. I'm still having a good time hanging out with you." Arin took the spot next to Dan when he laid down. 

    Dan's hand moved to Arin's face. Arin felt his eyes flutter shut. He opened them again when he felt his hand draw away. "Sorry, I don't know why I did that. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

    Before Dan could say anything else, Arin leaned over and captured Dan's lips with his own. Dan let out a surprised noise. While his eyes were first alarmed and wide, they found themselves falling shut. Dan's hands found themselves on Arin's face again. Arin broke the kiss to re position himself so he was sitting up. Dan took the time to do the same. 

    When their lips met again, Dan's nose brushed Arin's cheek lightly. The animators hands found themselves wandering Dan's chest and shoulders. Arin's lips glided over Dan's as he tilted his head for better access. Dan drew away to take a breath. Arin's eyes opened and saw Dan's half lidded ones.  
    "Whoa, that was really nice." Dan managed to break the silence. 

    Arin let out a laugh. "Yeah, sorry by the way. I wanted to do that for a while now."

    They both laid down again, this time Arin found himself laying on his friend's chest. "I don't know why you're apologizing, that was really nice." Dan's arm came up to play with Arin's hair. 

    "Dan you might want to avoid playing with my hair because there is a 110 percent chance I will fall asleep." His eyelids were already shutting as he spoke.  
    "Uh huh," Dan said as he closed his eyes.

\--   
    Arin's eyes opened to the sound of his phone ringing. It took him a second to remember he wasn't home. He lightly got up to avoid waking Dan and lightly padded to the living room to get his phone. He missed the call. He checked his screen to 4 missed calls. 2 from Ross, one from Suzy, and one from Barry. There were also 14 text messages. It was 3 in the morning. 

    'Fuck, Ross must be freaking out.' He immediately called his friend back.

    "Dude where are you? I've been trying to reach you for hours now!" Ross' voice was raised. 

    "Sorry sorry, I accidentally fell asleep at Dan's. I'm okay. I'll be home soon."

    "Arin you had me so fucking worried man. I was going to go up there and beat on the door if you didn't answer. I had to convince Suzy not to kick down the door."  Ross sounded stressed out. Arin didn't blame him. If Ross went to some strangers house and didn't come back, Arin would freak out too.   
    "I'm sorry. I'm coming home now." Arin heard and angry bye from the other end and the phone hanging up.

    Arin sighed and ran a hand over his face. He walked back into Dan's room. Lucky for Arin, Dan was already awake.

    "Hey big cat, is everything okay?" 

    First of all, the new nickname gave Arin a big goofy grin. He walked over and kissed Dan on the forehead. "Yeah sorry. My friends are just worried about me."   
    Dan pulled Arin into a hug. But the force of it cause Arin to fall onto Dan. They both started laughing and Arin sat up to straddle Dan so they were facing each other. "Whoa there big guns." Arin smiled and kissed Dan one last time before resting his head on shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow?" Arin got up kissed Dan's nose. 

    "You know my office hours." They both started laughing. "You good to drive home? I can always drive you."

    Arin wiped the tired from his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be okay. See you tomorrow." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys I have never written out a kiss scene before but aa! I hope you liked the chapter! I tried really hard to keep the twist that Dan's band was the one Arin really liked on the DL but if you guessed it, I'm sorry lol.  
> Again, follow me on tumblr and talk to me about Game Grumps! (Same URL as my AO3 username :0)
> 
> P.S. Sorry this chapter was kinda short, I just didn't want to leave my work off on a cliff hanger for too long lol


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin has to talk to his friends about last night

Arin reluctantly turned his key into his dorm room and opened the door. He quickly made his way to the fridge and shoved milk in it. He made a promise didn't he? Plus he wanted to prolong the inevitable lecture.

    Of course Ross was on his phone sitting on the couch. He was so quiet, Arin almost walked past him. It was the dim lamp light the illuminated his face that made his presence known. Arin sat on the floor so he was facing Ross.

    "I was really scared something bad happened to you," Ross didn't look up from his phone. "I don't care that you're spending time with him I just care that you're safe. And more importantly, that you're not gonna get hurt from this." He could hear Ross' voice about to break. Was he about to cry?

    "Ross, I know. I'm sorry." Arin wanted to get up and hug his friend. He felt his chest tighten. He felt so bad. He never wanted to hurt his friends like this. "I know it's new for me to be spending time with someone new that I barely even know. But trust me, I would never leave you guys for him. And I would never let Dan do anything I'm not comfortable with. He's not that kind of guy." 

    This time Arin did get up and sat next to Ross. Ross leaned his head onto Arin's and he could hear his friend's breath come in a little shakier.   
    "Yeah you're right. I was just scared you know?" 

    Arin wanted to cry. He never intended to hurt his friends like this. "Hey, why don't we sleep in my room tonight? I made a cool playlist for going to sleep. We can talk some more if you need to." 

    Ross only nodded and made his way to the room. Arin poured himself and his friend a glass of milk and followed him into the bedroom. 

    "I poured you some milk, I told you I'd pick it up on the way home. I was only 5 hours late." Arin joked and handed the cup to his friend. Ross smiled even though his nose was runny and his eyes were red. He downed the drink way too quickly. A skill that still impressed Arin to this day.

    Ross threw himself onto the bed and covered himself. Arin finished his drink and slid in the bed next to Ross before throwing his arm around him. They both fell asleep before they could talk about anything else. They were both too emotionally exhausted to talk about anything else. 

    Arin woke up before his alarm and sneaked out of the bed before Ross could notice. He went into the kitchen to make breakfast before he called Barry.   
    "Hello?" He heard a groggy voice on the other end. 

    "Hey B, want to come over? I'm making breakfast. I wanted to talk to everyone about last night." Arin nervously played with the hem of his shirt.   
    Barry paused for a while. "Yeah, I'll be over in a bit."

    "Okay, I'll call Suzy."

    Barry immediately spoke. "No need, she spent the night here. She came over last night. We were talking about you being MIA." 

    Arin mentally winced at that. "Oh okay. See you soon."

    Barry hung up the phone. Arin sighed and turned on the stove.

    Arin was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even hear Ross come up from behind and hug him. "Wow, breakfast too? Was I that good in bed?" 

    Ross felt a spatula hit his arm. "Whatever man." Arin laughed. "Sit down, food is almost ready. Suzy and Barry are coming over." 

    Ross' expression fell. He knew they were going to talk about last night. Ross wasn't that good at talking about feelings. Let alone with other people. Ross was positive they had talked enough last night. 

    A knock at the door snapped the two men out of their thoughts. When Ross opened the door, Barry and Suzy stood. "Hey guys, come on in," Ross let them in and sat at the table. 

    Arin was setting the table. On the table sat Arin's infamous eggs, pancakes, bacon, and toast. He motioned his friends to help themselves which Suzy took that opportunity first.  They all ate in silence for a few minutes before Arin finally broke it. 

    "So uh, I wanted to tell you guys sorry for last night. I fell asleep on accident at Dan's place but that's no excuse. I should have told you guys earlier." 

    Barry looked down at his food, "We understand you really like this guy Arin. It's not even about you falling asleep there., because that's none of our business what you two do. It's just, don't you think everything is happening kind of fast? When you first met me, it took you a whole month before even letting me into your house." 

    Arin pondered what he said. "That's different. We were all in high school then. We're all adults now. But I can see how that looks on your end. You guys just have to trust me. I know this seems like everything is going a million miles an hour for us. Hell, we only met a week ago."

    It was Suzy's turn to speak up, "I do trust you Ar. It's Dan I don't trust. I'm scared he's going to play you. I've seen it happen to my other friends in the past. And every time it happened just like what you're going through." 

    Arin tried not to get too defensive. He kept telling himself his friends were looking out for him. One of Arin's best qualities was his sense of empathy. He sighed. "Again, you guys just have to trust me. I promise I won't let anything happen to me. Again, if I go out with Dan again, I will let you guys know." He tried to compromise. It was like he had three parents.

    "You're old enough to make your own decisions. We can only be as supportive of you as we can. We know you would do the same for us. In the mean time, I'm going to eat as many eggs as my stomach will let me." Barry tried to diffuse the tension. He wasn't mad at Arin by any means. That was just his way of giving support but implying 'don't say we didn't warn you'. He just wanted what was best for his friend.  

     Suzy debated on saying something else but she let it go for now. Arin was too stubborn, even if she did offer advice, he would probably just ignore it anyway. She was a firm believer in letting other people live out their lives the way they choose. If she gives advice and they elect to ignore it, then that's their own doing. She doesn't want to impose too much on people's lives.

    Ross didn't speak the entire time. He wasn't that into talking about this in particular situation. If he had anything more to say, he would tell him when they were alone. He was a little mad for making him worry last night but he really appreciated Arin talking to him last night. He just couldn't help but feel a weird feeling in his stomach when thinking about Dan though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think his friends would be that mad at him for something like this. That's why they handled it as lightly as they did.   
> Thanks for reading! I know I say it every chapter but whatevr.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin brings Dan to the table

  Eventually, Suzy and Barry had to go home to get ready for class. Arin felt like they were all on good terms now but the air felt thicker for some reason. Nothing this dramatic has ever happened in their friend group before. The closest thing would be the addition of Barry. It was never this heavy though. And there was nothing negative about Barry to everyone else. It seemed like all of his friends didn't like Dan. He wanted to change that. Arin brought out his phone and texted man in question.

    "Dan weird request."

    Dan took a minute to text back, "What's up big cat?"

    Arin needed to find a good nickname for him. Even though he could never top his. "Sit with me and my friends at lunch. I need to show them how great you are. They're a little weary of me hanging out with someone I just met. I want to show them that you're one of the most genuine people I've ever met," Arin added another text "And one of the sexiest band members they will ever look at."

    "Well how could I say no after all that sweet talk? Sounds good. There's no assignments that need me in the office today. I've been meaning to get some fresh air anyways." 

    Arin smiled and got ready for class.

\--

    Arin found Dan after his first class before he could get to the lunch table. They found each other under the shady tree where they had first met. The cool air made Dan's hair lift like he was a Ghibli character. Arin cracked a smile but didn't bring it up.

    "Dan, my friends might be a little weird. Barry might not say anything," Arin laughed "because you are his teacher."

    Dan smirked. "I'll try not to be insufferable."

    They both made their way to the table. Arin spoke up when all their friends were staring at him with their jaws on the floor. "This is Dan. I told him to sit with us today so you can get to know him."

    Suzy smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Suzy. Nice to finally meet you."

    Dan took her hand. "You too. Arin has said nothing but nice things about you guys." 

    "Wow, you're a lot taller close up." Barry looked him up and down which made Dan giggle. 

    "Thank you! I think." He giggled again. "I really liked what you said on 'The Lake Isle of Inisfree' the other day. I never considered what you said until you brought it up. Brian even mentioned how articulate you are as well." This made Barry blush.

    "Thanks Mr. Avidan. I studied really hard for that."

    "Call me Dan." This made Barry's blush increase tenfold.

    "Dan, this is Ross." Arin offered.

    "Yes! Hello! You calling Brian by his first name caught me off guard. But it took everything I had not to laugh. You're a funny guy!" Dan smiled at him.  
    Ross only looked at his feet and muttered a thank you before taking a bite of his food. He stood up. "I have to meet my friend in the library so I can pa- get help on homework. Don't wait up."

    Ross promptly got all of his things together before making his way to the opposite building. He left an awkward air before he left.Like some cruel joke from the Gods, the sun was covered by the grey clouds chilling the air. This made Arin want to yell at someone for making his life some hallmark cliche but he decided against it. He instead looked at Barry and Suzy and silently asked 'What was that?'. They both shrugged. Barry immediately interrupted wanting to ease the tension.

    "So, I saw you playing guitar the other day, are you self taught?"

    Dan was taken aback by the question given everything that had just happened. "Oh, yeah. My dad had one laying around when I was young and I just kind of picked it up. My first guitar is back in Jersey with my parents."

    Suzy's eyebrows shot up in amusement, "Jersey boy huh? I always wanted to go."

    "Really? Most people want out," Arin was the only one to catch the brief flash sadness Dan's eyes. 

    "Yeah, I heard the fashion there is awesome!" Suzy beamed while she talked about her dreams.

    "That's very true," Dan chuckled. "Is that what you're going to school for?"  

    "Of course, I'm the pinnacle of fashion," Barry cut Suzy of and motioned to his plaid shirt and jeans. Suzy playfully hit him.

    "Shut up Barry. Yes, I graduated early so I could get a head start on my degree." Suzy grinned.

    "That's really impressive. Maybe you can give me tips on how to dress. So then I won't look like a single dad all the time." Dan made Suzy almost spit out her drink.

    "Oh my god, that's spot on how I would describe your fashion. It's not bad Dan, I actually like it."  

    "Thanks! Maybe I'll manage to turn into my signature look someday." Suzy agreed and went back to her food. The older man turned to face the man sitting across from him. "Barry, what is your major?" 

    "Video game design. One day, I will make the best video game." Barry's smile could light the entire courtyard when he talked about what made him happy.  
    Dan gave him an equally bright smile "That's amazing, if you as any good at video game design, which I'm sure you are, as you are English, you're going to be a legend."

    If Barry could get anymore starry-eyed, he would turn into space itself. Arin felt himself light up at the fact his friends were able to see how great Dan was. Well, not Ross. He wondered what Dan had done to make Ross run away like that. With a sigh he opened up a text to his friend.

    "Hey, why did you leave? Do you want to talk about it? Sorry for springing Dan on you like that."

    It took Ross a good ten minutes to reply. "Don't wait up for me for class."

    Arin frowned. He had thought he solved this problem last night. Why was he suddenly acting like a jerk to him? 

    "Can we talk about it? I know you're better at expressing yourself through typing. I thought it was all resolved last night. I don't understand. Can you tell me why you're mad?"

    "Arin?" Dan was leaning in looking at him. He must have missed what he had said.

    "Huh? Sorry, I was texting. What did you ask?" He removed his eyes from his phone and raised his brows.

    Suzy spoke up "He wanted to know what your favorite drink was since we all said ours."

    Arin looked distant, "Oh, apple juice." 

    Barry shrugged and pulled Dan and Suzy back into conversation. Arin owed Barry lunch for silently understanding Arin was bust texting Ross.  
    The phone buzzed and the animator immediately scanned the text from his dorm mate. "I don't know. I'm just mad that you're adding someone new to our group. You didn't even ask if I was okay with it. I'm glad he makes you happy but that doesn't mean I have to pretend to be happy about him. I'll be civil around him. Just... don't expect too much from me. I'm only doing this because you're my best friend. Wait for me after lunch, I'm walking with you to class. I changed my mind from earlier. I don't want to walk to class by myself like a loser."

    "I'm sorry, I just thought if you got to know him, you wouldn't think he's a bad guy. Kinda backfired huh? Sorry, I promise he's very sweet to me and I really like being around him. I won't bring him around everyday if you don't want. He also has to be in his office some days anyway. Are we okay now? I hate it when you're mad at me."

    Arin felt Dan's eyes on him. He knew he was texting Ross about him. Arin prayed that he wouldn't bring it up. Arin's phone buzzed again. "I guess we're okay now. I didn't mean to make a scene, I just needed to calm down. I'll be at the table in a min. I really did have to pay H for my homework."   
      
    Arin smiled down at his phone. He remembered why he loved Ross. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write more Barry, he's such a cinnamon roll. I'll work on that next chapter. I just wanted to show how the others interacted with Dan. And my bias for Ross has me writing him in too much lol.   
> *Sorry for taking so long to update. I'll write some more tomorrow.   
> **Thank you for reading and special thank yous to those who kudos and comment! They mean a lot to me!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry invites Dan and Arin on a road trip

It was Barry who suggested that him and Arin spend time together. He even offered that Dan come along. "It's just some thing in LA that has cool underground video game designers. And you're the only one that likes that kind of stuff."

    Arin did love video games and he wasn't going to leave Barry stranded for the weekend. "Of course dude, that sounds great! I'll be over after my class. And I'll see if Dan wants to come."

    A few more details were discussed and they both said their goodbyes as they headed to class. When was the last time they really hung out together? It felt like this college life they were thrown into took away from their relationship. Arin was glad Barry made an attempt in the friendship just as much as he did despite their circumstance.  He did debate on asking Dan. On one hand, he wanted to be with just Barry but he also wanted the three of them to hang around and see what that chemistry would be like. That all depended on what Dan was even wanting to do. He decided to call him since he had at least a half hour before class.   
    "Hey Ar what's up?" Dan's lighthearted voice met Arin's ears.

    "Not to spring anything onto you but what are your plans this weekend?" He crossed his fingers that he wasn't busy.  
    "Uh, I don't think I have anything going on besides grading some papers. Why what's up?"

    Arin's stomach did a somersault "Oh cool. Well Barry invited me and you to this video game thing in LA this weekend. Do you want to come? If not that's totally cool. I just thought we could spend some more time together and I've been meaning to hang out with Barry." 

    Dan paused and considered the trip. "Hm, yeah why not? That sounds really cool. I don't know a dammed thing about video games but sure!" 

    Arin laughed. "Awesome! Well, I'm going to my dorm after class to get a few things. You might want to bring like a different set of clothes and some overnight stuff. I don't know how long we will be out but we'll be back by at least Sunday afternoon. Where do you want to meet up?"

    "Want to swing by my place after you get Barry?"

    "Yeah man, sounds like a plan! See you soon!"

    After the phone call ended, he sat in his seat and waited for class to start. He felt like a grade schooler waiting the night before for a field trip. Road trips were always one of Arin's favorite things. Unfortunately, this made the class go so much slower due to anticipation.

    When class ended, Arin shot out of his seat and went back to his dorm. Ross wasn't there yet but he knew Arin was going to be gone for the weekend. He quickly grabbed his small Sailor Moon backpack and stuffed another outfit, deodorant, his toothbrush, and toothpaste into it along with some other things like his charger before heading out. The trip to Barry's was short which may or may not be because he speed walked. Barry let Arin in while he finished packing his necessities.

    "I didn't expect you to be over so fast! I'm not even done packing yet. Did Dan say he wanted to go?"

    "Class ended early," Arin lied. "And yep! Can we swing by his place when you're done?"

    "That's fine." Barry stopped packing to look at Arin, "Do you think he will give me extra credit for being friends with him?"

    "Barry he doesn't even give me extra credit and he's the one that gave me his number." Arin laughed. Barry joined in.

    "Okay fair, doesn't hurt to ask though." With a shrug, Barry stuffed the last of his things and they left to get the other passenger.

    They arrived at the apartment at a reasonable time but Dan was still getting all of his stuff together. He invited them up so they wouldn't be bored waiting for him. When they both stepped inside, Dan went back to packing so Arin sat on the futon. He motioned for Barry to sit down as well. 

    "Sorry guys," Dan called from the other room. "I'm done!" 

    Dan strode into the room, backpack in hand. He smirked when he saw how awkwardly Barry sat on his couch. So, why not ease the tension? "Barry, you're looking dapper as ever."

    Barry let out a nervous laugh, "Oh stop it you." Barry looked up at the ceiling putting his thoughts into words "Also, I have snacks in the car. We should get to the hotel in a few hours if we leave soon." 

    Barry was more planning out loud but it was still helpful for the pair watching him to get a basic idea of what's going on.   
    "Wait hotel?" Dan spoke up.

    "Yeah, Arin didn't tell you? The event is tomorrow so I rented a hotel room for tonight. Is that okay?" Arin blushed, of course he forgot to tell him one of the most important details. 

    "For sure, I'm totally down for some room service!" Dan joked. 

    Once they were all settled in the car, which took longer than they'd like to admit, they were off. Dan and Arin sat in the back since Barry needed the front for his bulky GPS and his personal stuff which was too bug for the trunk. Danny long legs didn't seem to mind at all since he had them stretched out over Arin's lap.

    "So, what do you guys want to listen to? I think my dad left some old CD's lying around if you want to take a look." Barry threw back one of those hold CD books.

    Dan leafed through it when he found a RUSH album. He handed the CD back to Barry so fast it made Arin's head spin. "Please Barry if you play this, I will give you extra credit." 

    Barry shot Arin a look of 'I told you so' before taking the CD and putting it in the player. Subdivisions came on and Dan of course belted the lyrics and started air guitaring. Barry's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, Arin wasn't joking around about your voice. You're really talented. Are you in a band or something?" 

    Dan's expression fell a little but picked back up at the compliment, "I was yeah. But thank you Barry. I didn't know Arin talked so highly of my voice." Dan side eyed Arin and cracked a smile when he saw the younger man blush. This was going to be a fun trip.

\--

    It was the later part of the evening when they arrived to the hotel. Everyone was a little groggy from the trip so they were happy to get to their room and fall onto the beds. The only problem was there were only two of them. 

    "Oh shoot I totally forgot I only booked a room with two beds before asking if Dan wanted to come! I'm so stupid!" Barry set his bag down before turning to the two men. "I'm so sorry guys, I can totally take the couch." 

    Dan was the first to interject. "Over my dead body! You drove us all the way here. Not to mention this is your weekend. I just tagged along for the ride. Let me take it!" 

    Curse Dan for being a giant sweetheart. Barry looked at his feet. "Thank you. If it gets too uncomfortable, let me know and I'll switch with you." 

    He gave a soft smile, "Okay." Dan knew that even if it was the worst sleeping experience of his life, he wasn't going to speak up. He meant what he said.   
    Barry immediately went to the door. "Oh shoot! I forgot something in the car. I'll be right back!" He took large steps to exit the room. 

    "That was really nice what you did for Ba-" Arin was cut off by a quick but deep kiss from Dan. Arin's eyes were wide as he let out a surprised noise. Once he realized what was going on, his eyes fell shut and he grabbed the back of Dan's shirt to pull him closer. When Dan pulled away, Arin's face was in so much shock, he could have generated an entire city. 

    "Sorry, I wanted to do that since you got to my place."

    Arin's fingers traced his own lips like Dan just put him in a trance. "Do it again." 

    Dan obliged. This kiss was more passionate than the last. This time, teeth crashed and Arin let out a shaky moan as the other man's hands circled his shoulders. When they heard the door unlock, they pulled away and Dan went back to his backpack like nothing happened. Arin on the other hand was in the same position spaced out. 

   Barry set his stuff down. "So, what do you guys want to do for dinner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me writing in some more Barry like I promised! I have bigger plans when it comes to conflict, but this is a slow burn fic and doing it now would be unrealistic lol.   
> Anyway, the "There are not enough beds, looks like someone will either have to share or take the couch" Trope is my fav. Thank you for making it this far in my fic! I have more to come!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip at the hotel gets interesting.   
> The expo also brings up bad memories.

  The three men decided to try a near by sushi place for dinner. It was open later than all the other restaurants which fit well with their schedule. It was set up like a neon bar and even had a designated gin bar in the corner. Not that any of them would participate, but it was still nice to look at.  

    They were all enjoying themselves but Arin was off on another planet reenacting the kiss in his mind. There was something about the intimacy of it that made him melt. He had never really had a serious relationship before. Not that this was serious, but it least it had direction. Hell, none of his friends even knew about the two of them yet. He intended on telling them after it became a little more serious. But sure, Arin has kissed people before. It wasn't a new experience for him. Only that was more of an 'I'm lonely and so are you. Why don't we kiss to pass the time?' kind of situation. The way Dan kissed him, or even looks at him, was different. It showed him that maybe he did enjoy his company and maybe even they could be together in the future. 

    "Anyways," Barry began, "that's why immersion is so important in a video game." Barry finished his speech on what made a good video game. Dan was leaning in on his elbow listening intently.

    "Whoa, I guess I never thought of it that way. I forgot how invested I used to be in games like space quest. That must have been the reason."   
    "For sure. Good taste in video games by the way Dan." Barry lifted his glass at him before taking a sip. 

    They all conversed (mostly Dan and Barry since Arin was on another plane of existence still) when Arin found Dan's hand casually resting on his thigh. There was something about the gesture mixed with his nonchalant expression talking to Barry that made him swoon. Like it was almost natural for his hand to be there. Arin put his hand over Dan's to return some affection. 

    "I brought some movies also by the way," Arin started. "I figured we could all go back to the hotel and chill out before the expo tomorrow. I think I brought The Goonies." 

    "Arin coming through as always" Barry chuckled. "Sounds like a great plan. You guys ready to leave?"  Everyone agreed and paid their bills. Dan's touch was removed from Arin and it made him feel a little colder than it should have.

     The rain was lightly falling on the car on the drive home. The rain sliding off the neon signs had Arin feeling nostalgic of when he first met Dan at the bar. Not that he knew it was him but he wished he had gone up to him and told him how much he loved his music. As much as he wanted him to keep making music for Skyhill, he knew how unhappy Dan would be doing it. He just wanted his past self to initiate a relationship with him earlier. Then he would have known almost everything about him now. He supposed that would take away some of the intrigue of getting to know him now. It was just weird how fate worked out.   
    When they all got back to the hotel, Arin was the first to change into his pajamas and jump on his bed. Barry and Dan followed suit. Dan tried to situate himself on the couch while craning his neck to watch the movie Barry put on the TV. After watching Dan flop around on the couch like a fish out of water trying to get comfortable, Arin sighed.

    "Dan, share a bed with me. You are way too big on that couch." Arin scooted over. Barry didn't really express any shock on his face. If anything, he looked relieved Dan wouldn't be stuck on the small two cushioned couch. Dan shrugged and slid into the bed next to Arin.

    Dan was incredibly cold compared to Arin. After a few minutes of discomfort, the temperatures of both of their bodies evened out and they were able to comfortably watch the movie together. Barry was out before the movie was even 30 minutes in. He always was an early bird and not an night owl.   
    The other two men were close to passing out themselves. Now that Barry was asleep, they could get a little more open with their affection. Arin moved his head to Dan's chest and they tangled their legs in each other. The older man's hands found themselves twirling Arin's hair until he heard the soft snoring emitting from him. They both fell asleep with a smile. What they didn't notice was Barry waking up in the middle of the night and seeing them lie together.  
    When morning rolled around, Barry was up and taking a shower to get himself ready for the day. He also got a pot of coffee going so it would be done by the time he was out. He took one last look at the two men in bed together before going into the bathroom.

    In the shower he recollected what he witnessed last night. He had a hunch that the two were involved with each other but he didn't know they were so close so quickly.  He tried to tell him at Arin's dorm that he thought things were moving way too fast but he understood how he felt about Dan. So who was he to say what is and isn't in his best interest? Still, he just didn't want his friend to get hurt. He knew Dan was a good guy. Everything he said was genuine it's just he felt worried about Arin. Arin always got invested in relationships and it always broke Barry's heart when he saw the other person leave him in the dust. He just didn't want to see Arin's look of pure heartbreak again. 

    Barry threw on a nice button up and slacks before brushing his teeth. Outside, the other two were already awake and moving around. Barry assumed they were hoping he didn't see anything. He decided to indulge them. They would tell them when they're ready he supposed.

    "Whoa Barry you clean up nice!" Arin looked Barry up and down making him blush. 

    "Oh man thank you. I made some coffee if you guys want some. I don't know about Dan but I know Arin is not an early riser." He walked over to the pot and poured himself a mug before holding it up to offer some to the other two. They both took him up on it.

    "I'll drink mine once I'm out of the shower. I'll be out soon." Arin grabbed all of his clothes in a ball and made his way towards the bathroom.  
    Barry gave Dan his cup, "Here you go man, want any creamer?" 

    "Nah, that stuff is too sweet for me. Thanks by the way." Dan looked down at his cup not looking at the other man. He felt embarrassed that Barry probably saw him last night. Dan didn't want to out Arin like that, especially in front of his best friend. He should have been more careful.  
    "You okay Dan?" Barry broke the silence and took a sip from his cup.

    Dan let out a sigh, "You saw us this morning I take it?"

    Barry chuckled, "Yeah. I wasn't going to say anything. I honestly don't mind. I had a hunch about you two anyways. Arin really likes you and you seem like a great guy.  I'm just worried about him you know? He gets invested in relationships quickly. I don't want to overstep my boundaries but please humor me. You're not making this a short fling are you?"

    The last question took Dan so off guard that he choked on his coffee. "I really like him Barry. When I first met him, we instantly clicked. He recognized the song I was playing from my old band and I was so shocked. But that's not why I gave him my number or anything." Dan's face softened, "I'll be honest with you. When I saw him in my class, I wanted to break off communication off unless it was class related. I didn't want to engage a relationship with one of Brian's students. Then I saw him and I felt like my heart melted out of my chest. I just had to talk to him. Look, I can predict how long we will be together, but he makes me really happy." Dan fiddled with his mug handle. When he looked up , Barry had a goofy grin.   
    "I knew you were a good guy Dan." 

    Arin emerged from the bathroom wearing a worn out mega man shirt and dark jeans. "Barry did I already say you clean up nice because I'm serious."  
    Barry was always so humble to take compliments. "Arin, you're killing me! I'm gonna blush so hard my head will explode!" 

    They all shared a laugh and Dan stood up, "Guess it's my turn to take a shower. I am warning you, when my hair air dries, it will be the size of Manhattan."   
    "That sounds awesome!" Arin seemed to over imagine the size of his hair and it made Dan laugh so hard he had to put his hands on his knees.

    "Arin your face go from one of that much shock almost killed me." He giggled a couple more times before he made his way to the bathroom.

\-- 

    The drive to the expo was a peaceful one. It was a nice sunny day out and Arin almost felt bad that it wasn't an outside event. Nonetheless, when they got there, they checked in and were in awe at the amount of booths and people. Barry had to excuse himself since he was seeking a certain game developer leaving the other two to wander around. 

    "Oh cool! Look Dan, they have Chrono Trigger!" Arin beamed at Dan but his expression immediately fell when he saw Dan staring at his phone with a furrowed brow. 

    "Sorry Arin, I'll be right back." Dan promptly went into the nearest bathroom and answered his phone. 

    When Dan got to the bathroom, he sighed at his phone and held it to his ear. "I'm busy, what do you want Peter?"

    The voice on the other end was just as frustrated.  "You know what I want. Just come back to the band. I know you miss it."

    Dan wanted to break his phone. He didn't have time for this. For once, everything in his life was working out great and he couldn't risk it by going back. Of course he would love to make more albums but that wasn't realistic anymore. Him and Peter constantly fought over income and it would end with Peter taking most of it. Not to mention, the constant shouting matches they would have over the music. In a perfect world, he would be on a world tour with Peter and they would always agree on what goes in the album. That's how it started at least. They were both usually lenient on what would go into the songs and if they didn't like it, then they would shoot for a compromise. It was perfect until his band mate became more and more possessive leaving Dan trapped. He had to leave, it was for his own good.

    "Stop calling me, I can't do this anymore," Dan felt tears coming to his eyes. "Please just stop calling me. I won't let you hurt me again."

    The other voice let out a dark laugh. "You know you need me. I was the band. Just come back and record a few tracks. We don't even have to do live shows. I already wrote out all the lyrics." 

    A tear managed to escape from his tear duct. This was exactly why he left. Every conversation went in a circle leaving him just as frustrated as before. He was treated like a singing monkey. He had no real reason to be in the band anymore. "I said no! Find someone else and stop calling me!" 

    He hung up the phone before the other man could get another word in. He gripped the sink and hung his head. His phone buzzed in his pocket but Dan ignored it. He needed to get it together. 

    "Dan? Are you alright?" Arin slowly poked his head in.

    Dan sniffled trying to compose himself. "Yeah, sorry." The last syllable barely made it out as tears fell down his face. He felt so embarrassed crying in front of Arin. He was better than this.

    Arin ran to Dan and cupped his face. "Whoa, hey it's okay. You're okay." He pulled his head down to this chest as he stroked his hair. "What happened? Was it the same person that called you the other day?"

    Dan straightened up wiped his tears on his sleeve. "Yes. It was Peter. He keeps harassing me and pressuring me to go back into the band. I can't go back Arin. I was miserable." 

    Arin's heart broke. "I have Barry's keys, lets go to the car and take a breather." 

    Dan nodded and followed Arin out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is twice as long (Sorry, it was the only way to fit in as much plot as I wanted.)  
> I say this too much but thank you for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Arin have a talk.

"So, he treated you like garbage and he expects you to come back?" Arin looked at Dan with his eyebrows down.

    "Yeah, it wasn't always like that though. When we first got together, our band was amazing, we were two peas in a pod." Dan smiled sadly. "But then when I wrote some lyrics down, he would tell me how stupid they were. One time he ripped them up in front of he. He was just a bad dude." 

    Arin felt himself getting angry. "I want to beat him up. How could he do that? What songs on the album did you write?"

    Dan leaned the passenger seat all the way back and stared up at the ceiling. "Most of them. He took credits for a lot of the songs. He only wrote some of the instrumental. It was when we started the second album that things went to shit." 

    Arin reached for his hand. "That guy has got some issues then if he can't see how great of an artist you are. I know you must miss it a lot but it's a good thing you left."

    Dan turned his head and smiled. "Thank you." 

    "Do you want to go back inside or do you want to wait here for Barry?" Arin offered.

    "Barry bought these tickets for us. Plus I already made you sit and listen to me rant for an hour now. I'm good to go back in." Dan squeezed Arin's hand. "I really appreciate how kind you have been to me Arin. I'd hate for you to think of me as the wild English assistant with a boat load of problems. That's why I tried to keep everything on the down low. Sorry if I overwhelmed you with drama." Dan laughed.

    Arin returned the gesture. "Have you met my friends? We're a modern version of a Hallmark movie. If anything, I like you more now. Thank you for trusting me with this."

    They both made their way back in and found Barry looking at a VR pong game. He looked so into it was adorable.

    "Should I scare him?" Arin raised one eyebrow. 

    "If you scare me, you're walking home Hanson." Barry jokingly threw up a fist at him. He took off the headset and lightly set it down. 

   Arin did a 'that's fair shrug'. "How was meeting that one guy?"  

    Barry cracked a smile, "Amazing, I learned so much from him. Almost more than I have this entire semester. I told him I was in college to be in game design and he said I had a lot of potential. It was probably one of the best experiences of my life." 

    Dan beamed at Barry, "I'm super glad this experience was a good one for you Bar!"     

    Barry liked the new nickname Dan had given him, boosting his mood even more so. The three of them spent the rest of the day playing with all the demos and talking to people at the booths. Arin even bought some key chains for Suzy and Ross for when they got back home. 

    At the end of the day, they all packed up and made their way back to the campus. The entire ride home was spent bringing up past stories and jamming out to whatever CD Dan handed Barry to play next. Arin had never felt so content in his life. Eventually, Dan was dropped back off at his apartment and Barry and Arin made their way to their separate housings. 

    When Arin opened the door, he let out a sarcastic "Honey I'm home!" 

    He was surprised to round the corner and see just Suzy. "Ross went to pick up food. We hung out today. I'm just holding the fort." She patted the couch for Arin to sit next to her. "How was your trip Ar?" 

    "Amazing! I haven't spent time with just Barry in ages, it was nice to hang out like old times. Dan was super interested in Barry's trip too which made it even more fun." At this point, Arin was throwing his arms around gesturing what happened with an excited look. Of course he left out some details with Dan.

    "That's awesome. Ross taught me some things on flash. I didn't know how complicated animating was until I watched him spend 20 minutes on one frame. So hats off to you." She chuckled and looked for something else to watch on TV. 

    Ross came in with a sarcastic "Honey I'm home!" 

    "Beat you to it!" Arin called back. 

    Arin retold the story of what happened to Ross as they all shared something to eat. Ross was putting in an effort to seem excited, even when he brought up Dan which made Arin happier when telling the story. By the time the sun went down, Suzy decided it was time to go home. Ross offered to walk her back and they left arm in arm. Arin took that time to go to bed. He couldn't stop thinking about Dan. Arin sat up in his bed with an alarmed yet excited expression.

    "I think I might be in love with Dan Avidan," Arin whispered.

\--  
    Dan made his way into Brian's office to set down the last of his graded papers before class. He found Brian sitting there with a book in his hands and his feet propped up. 

    "Thank you Mr. Avidan." He put his book down and turned to face him. "Do you mind if I talked to you for a moment?" 

    Dan was supposed to meet up with Arin but he couldn't say no to Brian. He was technically his boss. "What can I do for you Brian?"      
   
    "It has come to my attention that you are spending a lot of time with one of my students." Brian raised an eyebrow. 

    Dan's blood ran cold. Where was he going with this? "Uh yeah, he's asked for tutoring a few times."

    Brian made an 'mhm' noise before continuing. "Right, well, I just want to iterate something to you. I really enjoy you as an assistant. Hell, you're one of the best ones I've had in a long time. And I've been in this business for years. I could even see you working here yourself full time. That being said, I would hate to see you fired because you are pursuing one of my students romantically." 

    Before Dan could deny the whole thing Brian spoke up again, "I also want to add that lying of any kind at this extremity can get both parties expelled." Blue eyes met brown ones as Brian continued. "I really enjoy your work here. I know your intent is well which is why I didn't go straight to the dean. I don't want to be the bad guy Daniel. I'm giving you a chance to make this right."

    Brian didn't need to say anymore before Dan's whole self deflated. He knew being with Arin wasn't right by the school. It wasn't against school policy per se, but it was enough to potentially get him fired. Even worse, Arin expelled.

    Dan looked down at his shoes. "I understand." When Brian didn't say anything else, he turned on his foot and left the room.

    Arin was waiting for him in the courtyard with a smile on his face. Dan felt like human scum. He knew what he had to do. But God he didn't want to. In fact, he was debating on just turning in his badge right now and saying 'fuck it, I'll find somewhere else'. He knew that wasn't reasonable. 

    "Hey Dan. You took a while." Arin registered Dan's face and became worried. "What's wrong?"

    Dan took a deep breath and met eyes with him. "We can't do this anymore." 

    Arin's world stopped. "Wh-what do you mean?" He reached out for Dan's arm but Dan only moved away from it.

    "I mean, I can't be with you anymore. I'm so sorry for leading you on like how I did. It was very unprofessional to go after you, even after knowing you were one of my students." Dan noticed Arin intentionally avoiding eye contact. 

    "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?" Arin's voice broke when his eyes met Dan's.

    Dan wanted to rip his own heart out of his chest. "No. God no. It was me. I shouldn't have gone after you knowing I could risk your college enrollment like that. I'm your teacher. I can't be with you for that. I'm sorry."

    Arin didn't even try to hide his tears. "Why are you doing this to me?" 

    Dan looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." He didn't look up until he knew Arin had walked away. Dan stood there for a while before forcing himself to move back to his apartment.  
    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what all my build up was for. (Man this hurt to write.)


	14. Chapter 14

The next couple of weeks were static for Arin. He felt like he was watching his life through a TV that played shows with only fuzz and white noise. Arin's friends got wind of what happened and even learned about the more intimate parts of his past relationship and made an effort to show him as much affection as they could. Don't get him wrong, he appreciated it immensely. Their support was the only thing that kept him going. However, with each passing day, it became harder and harder to do everyday tasks. 

    Arin stopped showering for days. He had reduced his meal intake to barely one a day. He had to force himself to attend classes, but when he did, he never paid attention. Nothing came close to the emotions he felt when going to his class. Professor Wecht's class only became harder for Arin. Having to look at Dan's face after everything that had happened was unbearable. Dan's eyes never met Arin's. Instead, they found themselves looking at anything, everything except him. 

    Ross saw how upset Arin was in class, he tried to cheer him up or at the very least distract him from Dan. He remembered seeing Arin come home that day. It was the latter part of the evening so he couldn't really see Arin. But did he hear him. Ross could hear the choked sobs and sniffling as he went straight for his room. Ross was never very good with cheering up his friends. Hell, he didn't even know what happened to him. But he was going to do everything in his power to never hear that heartbroken cry ever again.

    He walked up to Arin's door before lightly knocking. "Arin, are you okay? Can I come in?" When he didn't hear a response, he opened the door anyway. He found his friend face down in the pillow sobbing. 

    Ross felt like his heart had stopped, cautiously, he made his way over to his bed and sat next to him. He put a hand on his back. "What happened?" Arin stayed silent. "Did something happen with Dan?"

    This made Arin cry harder. Ross wished he didn't say anything. He continued to rub Arin's back and let him cry. He has a strong feeling he already knew what happened. Ross started to feel anger well up inside of him but it immediately dissipated when Arin lifted his head from the pillow. He would save his anger for a more appropriate time. 

    "I just don't understand Ross." He sniffled and a few more tears fell. "I don't know what I did wrong. I think he was using me," Arin began to sob again. Ross had never seen him look so heartbroken. It made Ross feel empty.

    "I can't believe he would do this to you. I'm here for you man. It's okay." He coaxed Arin to sit upright and held him for a little bit until Arin felt a little more stable. Slowly, his cries softened. 

    It would take Arin a full week to stop sobbing in public. He would have to leave his English class multiple times before he would start up again. Ross was the one to tell Barry and Suzy what had happened. Suzy immediately wanted to storm into Dan's office and beat him up but she knew it wouldn't help Arin any. Barry was silent the whole time, pondering. 

    Barry would go to his English class as normal. He would see Dan, he looked like he took a bullet in the chest. He wouldn't tell Arin of course, he would hate to see him over analyze this and get even more upset. After two weeks of seeing his best friend miserable, Barry decided to confront Dan. Lunch was happening as normal. Barry stood up and told his friends he was "helping someone with classwork" before making his way to a familiar office. 

    When Dan opened the door to find Barry, his expression twisted to somewhere between confusion and sadness. Seeing as he was a teacher first, he stood to the side and let the younger man in.

    "What can I do for you Mr. Kramer?" Dan was looking at his desk and avoiding eye contact with Barry. He had gone back to using formal language with all of Arin's friends after the event. 

    Barry took a deep breath, "I just want to know why, Dan. Why are you doing this to him? You see how miserable he is in class. You won't even tell him if he did something wrong."

    Dan didn't look up. He put his head in his hands. He didn't say anything. Barry pushed again.

    "Listen, I know you're not a bad guy. I saw how interested you were in Arin. But you have to realize what you're doing to him. He has barely eaten in days. His grades are suffering."

    "You think this is just as easy for me?" Dan looked at Barry for the first time. Barry saw Dan's eyes were red and watery. "I want to tell him everything, but I can't."

    Barry furrowed his brows. He figured it was just as bad for Dan. "Please, tell me at least."

    Dan looked off to the side and forced his tears back. "I can't."

    Barry persisted. "Please Dan." 

    Dan was silent for a minute before he spoke. "Brian threatened me. He said if I continued to see him, he would fire me." He looked back at Barry "That, I can deal with. But he said if I didn't stop, Arin would be expelled. I know how important his education is so I broke it off. I never meant to hurt him. I tried to be strong. I almost went to his dorm many times. I stopped when I realized that I was going to be the reason he couldn't pursue his dreams." 

    Barry took the information. He honestly didn't know how to react. They both sat in dead air until Dan broke the silence. "Please tell him I didn't mean for any of this to happen. He makes me so happy Barry. I have to do what's right for him." 

    Barry nodded and started to leave the room. He stopped with his hand on the handle before facing Dan. "Thank you Dan. I'll tell him, but I think you should talk to him too. He needs to hear it from you." With that, he left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about how mean it would be if I stopped updating, so here's the next chapter! Thank you everyone for waiting for this update. I was struggling with how I wanted to take this. I'm content with how it came out.


	15. Chapter 15

A cursor blinking can be one of the biggest displays of defeat. Typing one thing, only to erase it all and be left with a line coming in and out of existence. The cursor can begin a multitude of words or emotions. Given that you actually type something. 

    Dan didn't know where to start. It was already getting late and he debated on not even typing anything at all. Content to live somewhere nothing was solid, where the opportunities still presented themselves regardless of what he did or didn't say. The cursor in itself became something Schrodinger would approve of. He wanted to break his phone over his knee and move somewhere else. Start over and change his name, maybe start another band. 

    With a sigh, Dan tried one last time that night. Words spewed from his mind to the screen in a fury as his fingers tapped. He decided if he typed the first things he thought, it would be genuine and not as forced as he was making it out to be. He didn't even reread it before hitting send and rolling over and embracing sleep.

 

    "Arin, I know you are confused and before I begin, let me say that I'm so sorry for whatever I put you through. I've noticed you in class and seeing you look like.. how you do makes me ashamed of my actions. If I knew what was going to happen before all of this, I would have been more careful. But the best thing I can do now is type. I never meant for this to happen. And nothing I will ever do will make up for what I've done. Thinking of the first day we met still sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Please understand I never meant to hurt you. And don't think for a second that any of this was your fault. I know I'm asking a lot but please trust me when I tell you this is in your best interest. I did this for you Arin. It has taken everything in my power not to come to your dorm and let you know how sorry I am and try to make things go back to normal. I know if I do that though, it would have bad repercussions. I can't tell you why I'm doing this for you. But just know if I didn't, we would both suffer.  
I still think about you."  
\--

     
 Arin woke up to the sun coming through the curtains and shining in his eyes. He cursed himself for not closing them last night. Groggily, he sat up and ran his hand down his face. When he grabbed his phone to check the time, his heart stopped and blood froze. He hadn't seen that name on his phone screen in weeks and just the sight of it made him want to turn his phone off. Reluctantly, he opened the phone and his eyes quickly scanned over the message. Each word became harder and harder to read but eventually, he reached the bottom. His mouth felt dry. All Arin could do is stare blankly at his wall and absorb everything he had just been told. Maybe he'd luck out and he would actually be dreaming this whole time. He would wake up and he'd be a completely different person with a perfect life. 

    When Arin finally came to terms with what Dan had said, he got out of bed and took a shower. He decided a response wasn't worth it for now. If anything, Dan's text raised more questions than answered. And frankly, Arin was so devoid of emotions at this point, the text left him feeling more empty than when he didn't say anything at all. 

    At lunch, conversation was a little duller than usual now that Arin had given up on speaking completely. His friends weren't going to pretend like nothing was wrong but sitting in awkward silence was becoming unbearable. 

    Suzy broke the silence. "Arin, please tell us what's wrong. I can't stand to see you like this." She debated on putting a hand on his shoulder but gave up.   
    Arin was looking past her into the distance. He registered what she had said but he didn't feel like responding. Barry's eyebrows furrowed. He knew what was bothering him. He figured Dan must have taken his advice. He decided not to speak out about it. 

    Ross on the other hand was looking more and more angry. "Arin. I know you dude. I've never seen you act like this. You need to tell us what's wrong. We can't help you unless you actually talk. I can't read your mind."

    Again, Arin heard the words directed at him but this time, his face shifted to something of concern. He hated to see his friends affected by him. He supposed just because he was miserable didn't mean he had to make his friends feel the same way. With eyes still focused on nothing, he spoke up, "Dan texted me last night." 

    Ross' hands were balled in a fist. Suzy also looked taken aback. At the same time with two different tones they asked "What did he say?" 

    Arin just skidded his phone towards them with the text. They both read the text at the same time, Suzy gasped. 

    "You didn't respond to him?" Suzy looked up. She took his silence as a no. 

    "Good, you shouldn't." Ross scoffed.

    This time, Barry did speak up. "Now wait Ross. Maybe you should text him back Arin. Actually, I think you need to talk to him face to face." This made Arin snap out of his trance and stare at his friend. Barry continued. "Hear me out, go talk to him, let him tell you what he wants to say, and you tell him what's been on your mind. I think you both need to settle what's been happening between the two of you before it drives you insane." 

    The dead air between all four of them lasted for about 20 seconds. Suzy and Ross were looking at each other and then at Barry and Arin waiting for someone to say something. 

    Arin only stood up and left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorry it took so long to update! ADHD is the worst! I'll be wrapping this story up in a few chapters :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin's feet find themselves walking for most of the day.

  Walking with no purpose reminded Arin of the night he first saw Skyhill. Of course now, it was the middle of the day and years later. Yet, the same feeling of confusion remained. He didn't know what he was doing with his life. Was it even worth it to act this beat up over him? Who was he kidding? Of course it was. Him and Dan had amazing chemistry. They had great memories. They had times together that he will never forget.

 

 Had. 

    Arin kept walking until he was wandering down a random neighborhood. It wasn't one he was familiar with but even if he got lost, who cares? What was the point of anything anymore? He didn't mind as long as he didn't see you know who again. He was the reason he was like this in the first place. But he was also the reason he felt the happiest he did in years. All of these emotions conflicted themselves one way or another and it drove him mad.

    Arin looked up at the sky as if it was going to open up and give him some sort of answer. It didn't help that it was beautiful outside. Arin felt like he wasn't allowed to feel the way he does on such a nice day like this. His phone buzzed. He ignored it. It buzzed again. He turned it off.

    The walk lasted for hours. The sun started to lay itself over the horizon leaving a indigo sky behind. After a while, Arin was really lost. He didn't care. He forced his feet to keep moving. The longer the gap was from confronting anyone, the better. The walking didn't stop until he heard a familiar, yet panicked voice.

    "Arin? Is that you?" 

    Slowly, Arin turned his head to face the once comforting voice. Making eye contact brought immediate tears to his eyes. Arin turned back and kept walking in the opposite direction. The car's motor made noise yet again as it inched closer to him.

    "Arin, please get in. I've been looking for you for hours. Everyone is worried about you. Please just come in and talk." Dan's voice came out shaky like he had felt the same way as Arin.

    Arin stopped in his tracks. He debated on just sprinting over some fences to lose him. He missed Dan though, as much as he hated to admit it, he did need to talk this out with him. Arin got into the car and avoided Dan's eyes.

    "Why are you all the way out here Arin? You're almost by my house, that's a 30 minute drive! I wa- We were all so worried about you. Suzy came to me after you left and said you got up without saying anything. She thought you had come into my office and when I said I didn't see you, everyone started freaking out. I told them I would look for you."

    Arin remained quiet and stared out the window. He felt bad that his friends were distressed because of him, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to anyone. After the air became too thick, Arin spoke. "Why do you even care Dan? Why are you doing this to me?"

    This time, Arin looked at Dan who was looking at the road. Dan couldn't bring himself to look at Arin. Not after everything he had done to him. 

    Arin continued, "First you say you don't want to do this anymore, and then you say that you still think about me. Do you get a kick out of making me miserable Dan? Is that what that is? You like to make me feel like I'm important to you and then after dropping me with zero explanation, you tease me with a bunch of lies? You think it's a game don't you? Is that what it is?" Arin didn't mean to raise his voice, but he couldn't help it. He felt sick to his stomach. Getting in the car was a bad idea and he wanted out. "Pull over Dan, let me out."

    Dan looked at the road for a bit longer before pulling off to the side. Before Arin reached for the door handle, Dan interjected. "Brian made me do it. He said if I didn't stop seeing you, he would get you expelled. I didn't want to tell you because I was ashamed that I was stupid enough  to risk you education like that."   
    Arin's hand froze on the door handle prompting Dan to go on. "And how are you assume that I wanted to play with you emotions. You are the best thing that has happened to me in years. You made me feel strong enough to confront Peter. You made me feel like I was something special for once in my life. If I was the reason that one of the most amazing and talented people I've ever met lost their education, I would never forgive myself."

    Arin slowly sat back down in his seat and made eye contact with the cause of his sadness for the past few weeks. Brown eyes searched the driver for some sort of lie to give him away. When Arin saw that Dan looked just as miserable as he did, Arin slid down in his seat. He felt bad for assuming things. Dan didn't want to end it in the first place? "Why didn't you ask me what I wanted Dan? We could have made this work. I could have dropped the class. I could have moved colleges." Arin's eyes teared up again. "I love you Dan. Don't you get it? I would have done anything if it meant being with you. But you never even asked me what I wanted to do." 

    Dan was slack jawed. Did Arin just confess his love for him or was he officially crazy? Dan felt worse. He ruined his chances with Arin. He thought he was doing the right thing. "Arin, I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you everything from the beginning but I was scared one of us would do something rash. You have made me feel happier than I have felt in years. Seeing what I've done to you makes me regret everything and it makes me feel like my heart was ripped out of my chest." Dan wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve. "I love you. I want to be with you no matter what. That's why I quit my job today Arin."

    Arin's eyes widened like saucers. "Are you insane? Why?" 

    "Over the past few weeks, I've been looking for another job. And I've finally landed one at a neighboring school. I don't even have to move. I decided that you're more important to me than some dumb assistant job. I wanted to tell you sooner but I couldn't bring myself to confront you after everything I've done to you." 

    They both exchanged looks as Arin took in all of the information Dan just unloaded onto him. "Did you say you loved me?"

    Dan smiled sadly. "Of course I did. I love you Arin. I know it doesn't make up for anything but I-"

    Arin just about leaped over the passenger seat to bring Dan into a kiss. Dan gladly returned it bringing it deeper. The kiss said many things. Mostly 'sorry', but also 'I love you' and 'I forgive you for this awful and excruciating misunderstanding'. 

    When they broke apart, Arin cupped Dan's face. "Please don't ever break my heart again Dan Avidan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! I'm back at work since I can walk again and they did not hesitate to give me hours immediately. I usually come home exhausted so I can't bring myself to write a below par chapter. 
> 
> Anyways, Thank you for reading/liking/commenting!


	17. Chapter 17

    Dan left the college on good terms. Especially with Brian. He was never the bad guy. In fact, he was just the cool English professor who looked out for everyone's best interests. Dan and Brian even discussed starting a band together after he left the college. 

    Arin finished out the semester with flying colors. He usually spent most of his free time either hanging out with his friends or at Dan's. Dan still helped Arin out with his English assignments despite leaving the class. Most nights ended with them sleeping of the futon together, sharing a blanket and watching reruns of their favorite shows.

    Suzy, Barry, and Ross began to accept Dan into the group. Ross was reluctant for the first couple of months but he found comfort in annoying Dan on purpose. Ross was sadist at heart, even with Arin's new boyfriend. No exceptions.  

\--

    "Yeah, so me and Brian decided we're gonna start a comedy band together. Turns out we have the same humor. I've written some lyrics already with him. Want to read 'em?" Dan held up a notebook and Ross snatched it from across the table.

    "Our boy Brian has some jokes? I have to see this!" Suzy and Barry both peered over his shoulders and scanned the paper. All three of them let out giggles as they read the lyrics. 

    "Wait so the dinosaurs are in space?" Suzy looked up at Dan. 

    "Yeah, I got the idea when I went to space and saw a Brontosaurus along with some sharks." Dan smirked.

    "Oh of course, how could we forget?" Barry returned a grin. 

    "I bet Brian wrote all the third verse," Ross continued to stare at the notebook. "I gotta give it to ya Dan, you guys some some awesome material here. Too bad you will have to pay me to get your notebook back!" Ross took off and Dan quickly got up and ran after him. 

    "Anyways," Arin rolled his eyes with a smile. "I told them I was going to animate their music video." 

    "It's about time you animated something! I've missed your stuff man!" Barry playfully slapped Arin on the arm. 

    "I'm glad everything is working out for you guys. I missed seeing you so excited about things. And as long as you're happy, I'm happy." Suzy smiled at her friend.

    Arin's smile softened. "Me too Suz. Thank you." 

    Dan came back panting and empty handed. "Damn he's so fast. Does he run track or something?" 

    They all laughed. "Not but he drinks a shit ton of milk so maybe that's it?" Barry offered.

    "It's cool. Joke's on him, I have the lyrics typed up at home. I just really like that notebook." Dan collapsed on the seat and leaned on Arin. "Someone's gonna have to carry me back to my car. I'm pooped."

    Ross came back and slid the notebook to his friend. "Okay okay you win. Seeing your long spider legs in it's full glory was enough payment."   
    Dan smiled. "Thanks you Aussie bastard." 

    "Whatever, at least I'm not the biggest scrub in the group. I mean I never was. Before you it was Barry." 

    "Hey!" Barry's head whipped to yell at Ross who was only laughing at his friend. They both started arguing until Suzy cut them both off.

    "All of you, gather around! I need to use up these Polaroids!" Suzy held her camera up as a signal to draw everyone near her. Everyone centered around and all let out a huge smile. 

    "Okay! One, two, three! Say cheese!" The camera flashed and everyone broke apart. "I have a good feeling about this one!" Suzy beamed. 

    Everyone gathered around the developing photo to see all five of them looking the happiest they've ever been.   
.

.

.

.  
   
   You know those kids where you ask them "What's your favorite class?" and they respond with "Lunch." to be snarky and cool? Arin Hanson is definitely one of those kids. Well, was. Now he would answer "Professor Wecht's English class" without a second thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter! It's more of an epilogue. I really hope you all enjoyed this story and again, your support encouraged me to write this thing. I know I might say this too much but thank you sososososososososososo much for reading!   
> If you want to see more from me, my tumblr box is open and always taking requests!   
> I love you all bye!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr! Reinedegrump.tumblr.com (I take writing prompts!! So please send them my way!)  
> especially send messages if you like this!  
> *Name of work taken from a good Yeats poem :)


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